I'm A Soldier
by Gravevirus
Summary: War has torn the country apart. Secret pacts are formed to destroy the opposing powers of the Warlord of Sound. Children are sent to a special academy to undergo the most rigourous training imaginable. Chapter 2 is up!
1. The Nameless

Beforehand: From the mind that brought you the highly acclaimed story The Sound of The Leaf comes a new action packed fic starring Naruto. This is like an alternate reality thing sort of. The same people from the series but they are raised differently…

Summary Completed: War has torn the country apart. Bloodlines are severed. Familes feud. Brothers kill each other. These are daark times. The war stems from before the Kyuubi crisis. Since it began, academies have opened in every village to take every young child and put them through hell on earth so that the battlefield will become their heaven. Those who survive traqining will become the elite ninja with hopes of ending the war. However, things aren't as black and white as everyone thinks...

Chapter One: The Nameless

The Forest of Death. It was silent. The wind was still. Birds didn't chirp. Nothing dared stir in this incredibly tense environment. Any noise could give away position. Every heartbeat was like a drum pounding to its owner. An unwanted drum. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, two kunai clashed together. Two young ninjas fought in close quarters combat. They held nothing back. Their aim was to kill each other for the sake of their mission. Their eyes held no emotion. No fury, malice, or ill intention towards the other. They were almost zombie-like.

The ninjas jumped back from each other. They both made hand signs unnaturally quick. One ninja wore blue torn jeans and a t-shirt. He had blond hair and marks on his cheeks resembling whiskers. The other ninja was wrapped in black clothing. The casually dressed ninja created 20 shadow clones quickly. The other ninja's fist began to glow. The cloned ninja analyzed the situation, then suddenly all his comrades began running around the black ninja. The black ninja realized he couldn't possibly hit the right one on his own.

The black ninja created 20 shadow clones of his own. The casual dress ninja stopped running. The clones and originals stared each other straight in the eyes. The black ninja made the first move. All 20 of his clones jumped toward an enemy. The casual ninja stood fast. When he felt the heat of the attack on the tip of his nose, the original and all of his clones simultaneously grabbed the glowing fist of their contenders. Several clones broke the wrists of their enemies, but all proved to be clones. The original black ninja found his wrist caught in the hand of his opponent. His eyes shot open. The blond ninja made a wicked smile. His clones destroyed the fakes. The blond ninja then broke the wrist of his opponent.

"Aaauuuughh!!" his opponent screamed in agony as the blond kicked him in the chest around the circle of clones. The black ninja was bounced from hit to hit. Finally, he was kicked in his ribbed, cracking at least three. The black ninja flew into the air, blood leaking from his mouth. He had failed his mission. His game was over.

The blond ninja and his clones pulled out kunai. They watched their defeated opponent reach the top of his flight. No, he was nearly defeated. The millisecond he reached the top of his flight, all 21 ninja threw kunai to pierce his body. The kunai stabbed, cut, and slashed away at the skin of their target. The black ninja fell to the ground. The blond ninja walked up to his opponent. He eyeballed him curiously. The enemy wasn't moving. He had been blasted. His body contained many holes, cuts, and scratches. The blond ninja checked his nails. They were sharp. Razor sharp. He kicked his opponent over onto his back. Then, before the black ninja realized what happened, the blond ninja dug into the flesh of his opponent. He dug deep. Finally, he grabbed, and pulled. The black ninja's pulsating heart was ripped from his body. The ninja screamed as his blood vessels burst and were ripped from him. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell back. No more movement.

"That's enough boy," a voice said. The blond ninja, heart still pulsating in his hand, stopped moving. Two men walked into the area where the blond ninja stood still.

"Congratulations boy," the older man said. It wasn't an emotional congrats, just so the boy knew he had done well. "You understand the basics of war. Destroy your opponent thoroughly." The boy didn't respond. The old man smiled.

"Back to the barracks soldier, your test is over." the younger man said. They turned their back on him. The blond ninja stared at the heart still in his hands. He hated it. Despite the fact that he had killed its host, it continued to beat. Why would it beat so futilely? It didn't know it had lost. He had to put it in its place. He squeezed as hard as he could. The heart gave on last series of strong beats and the burst into a mess of blood, splattering onto the boy's shirt and hand. He turned towards the forest exit, and took off. The two men remained.

"Hokage-sama," the younger man said to the elder. The elder man shook his head.

"Feel no remorse, young Iruka," he said. "What we are doing is a good thing. I know you have your doubts, but you must see that the ends we hope to achieve justify the means.

"But Hokage-sama," the young man pressed on. "Those two have been friends for five years. Then you pit them against each other in a life or death fight?"

"They were comrades, not friends," the old man said firmly. In this war there is no room for friendship. There is no room for emotions at all. That's why we've taken these kids at such a young age. So they realize, friends will die in war, sometimes by the enemy, and sometimes by your own hand. That's why true ninja don't have friends. They only have comrades." The young man went silent. The older man took a puff on a long, wooden pipe he carried. Together, they walked over to the corpse of the fallen ninja. Five years, they had trained this boy to be the best he could be. A pity. However, even pitiful ninja had their uses. Flushing out the ones with potential. And that boy, the Kyuubi no Yoki boy had potential.

"Poor Samuel," Iruka muttered. The Hokage said nothing. He picked up a stone and threw it through the forest.

"Why must we train them this way Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked. The Hokage smiled. He picked up and threw another stone. This one hit a tree and stuck in the bark.

"These children are like stones my boy," the Hokage began. He picked another stone up. "If you don't excert enough force onto them, you don't get results. The Hokage threw the stone lightly, and it feebly bounced off the tree. He picked up another stone and handed it to Iruka. He gestured for the man to throw it at the tree. Iruka did. His stone bore deeper than the Hokage's last. The Hokage smiled and picked up yet another stone.

"The harder you push the better results you'll get. So imagine if you were to push it to an unlimited extent. The result would be incredible. But we can't do that with human beings. They can take only so much. So we just want to push these kids to their limits at an early age, so that perhaps they can redefine these limits later on in their lives. The Hokage suddenly threw his last stone. The stone crashed through the tree and left a clear hole. Iruka drew breath. The Hokage smiled.

"Push to the limit and your result will be greater than you could ever imagine my boy." The Hokage walked toward the exit of the forest. Iruka studied the stones on the forest floor while thinking about what the Hokage said. It made no sense to him. These weren't stones they were talking about. They were children of 10 years old that had just given their all to kill a fellow ninja. He decided not to dwell on it too much. The Hokage was much more wise than he. Perhaps he would understand someday. Just not today.

The blond ninja returned to the Hidden Village of the Leaf. The quiet town made a sense of comfort arise within him. However, it did nothing to kill the tense feeling he always kept with him. Closing his eyes, he consulted his inner conscience.

"Boy, why do you summon me?" a monstrous voice asked.

"Kyuubi, we killed…again," the blond ninja told the beast.

"Yeah so?" Kyuubi asked. "It was part of your mission was it not? Even if we were aquainted with the little rat, was there really anything you could do?" The blond ninja opened his eyes. The monster inside of him was wise. For a demonic entity, he could impart information that would ease him all of the time. It eased him when they took away his life. Then his identity. He had no name. Some people called him Kyuubi, some called him Boy, but only amongst his comrades in times of rest would his real name slip through the lips of people.

Uzumaki Naruto

He had no need for a name. A name was nothing more than a decoration. He didn't need a name to be a soldier. When he died, they didn't have to use his name on the tombstone. He wouldn't mind either way.

Shaking his head, he headed toward the large academy that took up half of the village. It was an academy for children. Every child went for training upon reaching the age of three. They gave a heartfelt goodbye to their parents. Some would see them again. Many wouldn't. Naruto Uzumaki defiantly wouldn't. He was raised in the academy from day one. It didn't make him the best, but he had no memories of parents, nor feeling affection toward any living creature.

In fact, the closest person to his heart wasn't even a person. It was a demon sealed within his body upon his birth. It was the closest thing he had to a father. He also had comrades. Not friends. Comrades. People he worked with.

Naruto landed in front of the large building. Two guards nodded their head towards the ten year old boy and allowed him to pass through the doors. Naruto made his way down the long corridor. He passed several children who didn't give him a second glance. He didn't desire a first glance. He wanted to sleep. He was extremely tired. And he could use a nap before the dinner siren.

Afterword: Yeah, you know probably I don't do well with beginnings but I try you know? Well anyways, if you read, review please and thank you.


	2. Comrades

Beforehand: I'm happy to see I have reviewers out there. I probably could pull a few more if I waited but I want to get on with the story. Some characters will be a bit OOC but please bear with me as it helps the story go on without killing the mood. With that said, let's get started!

Chapter 2: Comrades

A loud alarm awoke Naruto from his rest. It was the dinner siren. His stomach growled. Or perhaps it was the demon. Either way, he felt hungry. Without a word, he rose from his sleep, put back on his white t-shirt, then immediately threw it back off. The shirt still reeked of death. The bottom of it was stained with the blood of the innocent.

Naruto went to his small closet. Inside he found a black shirt to wear. Slipping it on, he thought about his schedule for the next day. In a little while, his final test was to take place. It was kept secret, so nobody knew a thing about it. All that was said is that it would determine whether you're fit to serve the country or deserve to die. Of course this was said by senior students. The teachers spoke little about the matter. Naruto had tried once to collect information. He asked ninjas who had completed the test a year prior. They turned from their current mood to a solemn, grave mood. They would look upon him with sad eyes and turn away. This in no way helped him.

Naruto exited his room stretching out his limbs. He walked down a lonely corridor that would lead from his section of the school to the main area. He suddenly stopped walking. The air was stiff here. There was a certain smell in the air. Anticipation. Naruto stared straight forward and quietly spread out his chakra. The chakra leaked from his body and filled the hallway. He closed his eyes and finally found his stalker.

'Duck, spin kick, then reach out and grab. Bring his arm around to his back then grab the other arm. Beware of tricks,' Kyuubi muttered to his host.

Naruto waited for the person to make his move. He finally did, and quicker than Naruto expected. The person ran up to his back with a kunai in his left hand. Once he reached Naruto, he brought the weapon forward, but missed.

"Grrrrr!" the person said as a spin kick from below threw him off balance. His right hand struggled to grasp at something in front of him, but wound up being captured by his intended target. His legs were still wobbly as his arm was brought behind him. He attempted to use his free elbow to smash his target in the gut, but Naruto saw it coming. He locked his arm through the attackers. The person was rendered helpless. His legs couldn't regain balance because his target made sure of it. His arms were locked behind him. Naruto slowly leaned his head forwards to the person's ear.

"Nice try Sasuke."

Naruto released the boy's arms. Sasuke stumbled forwards, regained his balance and turned around quickly to punch Naruto in the face. Naruto took the full force of the hit and staggered backwards.

"Who said it's over?" Sasuke said as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Did he just?" Naruto said to himself. Suddenly, he found himself in the same position Sasuke was just in. Sasuke had kicked his legs from behind to weaken them, and then locked up his arms. Sasuke breathed heavily behind him.

"A Shadow Clone?" Naruto asked. Sasuke smiled behind him.

"No, just a normal substitution technique with a little extra illusionary technique added on." Naruto smiled. He leaned his head forwards.

"You would have beaten me, had you seen this coming!" Naruto slammed the back of his head into Sasuke's forehead Sasuke fell onto his back. Naruto unsheathed a kunai and lunged for the boy on the ground. Sasuke stuck his arms out, caught Naruto and flipped him over. Naruto managed to land on his feet. He turned towards Sasuke, who had gotten up and looked at him from across the hallway. Suddenly, a blur whooshed past them both. It seemed to circle them several times. Naruto wondered if this was one of Sasuke's tricks. Sasuke looked just as confused as Naruto. Finally, the blur ceased moving. Both of the boys looked over to the area it had stopped in. Naruto cringed. Sasuke grasped. Someone smiled and licked her lips. She pulled both of her hands back. Naruto and Sasuke lost their footing and flew towards each other. They landed on the floor back to back, tied in thin string nearly invisible without looking. The person responsible for this walked up to them and gave them a playful smile.

"Don't you two ever get tired of fighting each other?"

"Sakura-chan!" both of the bewildered boys said in unison. The pink haired female stood above the fallen boys smiling triumphantly. Naruto sighed. Sasuke let go of his breath.

"I let my guard down for a split second," Naruto said quietly. Sasuke remained quiet. Sakura giggled.

"You guys, we're in the same unit. We don't need to fight each other. Now come on. Dinner is about ready." Sakura turned her back and left the boys tried together. Naruto reached into his pocket and revealed another kunai, with which he sliced the rope, freeing himself and Sasuke.

"Not bad for a dipstick," Sasuke said as he lightly dusted himself off.

"You're improving, but a few more seconds and I'd have you on the run," Naruto said. They looked at each other in the eyes. Naruto could see his rival's desire to win a fight with him. Sasuke saw the same intent. Neither one of them would quit until the other had been bested for sure.

"I suppose we should get to the cafe," Naruto said. Sasuke nodded his head and together they walked slowly down the hallway.

Cafe

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke sat together at the same table every day. They were joined by Lion Unit every day. Lion unit consisted of Ino, Shikamaru, and Kiba. A while ago Choji had been on their unit, but he had foolishly died on a mission. There was no funeral. There was no sadness. It happened. That was all. His body had been left where he had died. Dead ninja were useless in the Leaf Village.

"Greeting comrades," Shikamaru said to his comrades. Naruto and Sasuke nodded their heads slightly to acknowledge their comrades. They sat down across from their allies. Sakura and Ino began light conversation on the "Life-Altering Final Exam."

"I heard that it has been called the legalized mass murdering," Ino said. "However, many of my sources were reluctant to answer any questions."

"I heard that once you leave, you leave all remaining emotions inside. Many ninja graduate right after taking the exam and join the war effort. Those that don't continue academic works here. Some say the dishonor of staying in the academy has caused defections to the Sound Village and in rare cases, suicide," Sakura pulled out every bit of information she had on the test.

"Have you asked our elders the nature of the test?" Naruto asked casually. Sakura nodded.

"Although we were able to extract a wealth of knowledge from senior students and students that didn't join the war, when questioned about the nature of the exam, they remained quiet."

"I suppose we'll find out in a while," Kiba said. The children nodded their heads in agreement. The final exams were two days away. Everyone at their grade level talked about it constantly. Rumors spread. It was up to individuals to determine the truth. Some people, like Shikamaru weren't worried at all.

"When it comes, it comes," he had said. He was one of the few people that was totally unworried. Naruto worried a little bit. But not enough so that it affected his mental training. He was sure the test would be gruesome. Almost certain actually.

"Naruto-kun, you haven't touched your grilled cheese," Sakura said, snapping the blond out of his thoughts. He looked at his food. He wasn't feeling very hungry suddenly. But he knew he needed to keep his strength up or else. He took a large bite of his sandwich and put it down. Sakura looked at him with a mildly worried look on her face.

"I'm fine," he said quietly. Sakura knew something was on his mind, but decided not to pursue it.

"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," Ino suddenly said. Both boys looked up slowly with an uninterested look on their faces.

"If you haven't noticed, things have been grim around here since information has been leaked about the exams. Soooo, me and Sakura were thinking tomorrow we could spend the day together before this so-called exam of exams comes about."

"We'd really like you to join us," Sakura said. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto, won't you?" Sasuke went back to his food. Naruto leaned back in his chair. The two girls looked at them.

"It won't be just us!" Ino pressed on. "Shikamaru will be there, and so will Kiba and the Hyuuga cousins."

"And Lee-san, Tenten,-," Sakura was cut off.

"I'll go," Naruto said. Sasuke still looked reluctant. He picked at his food.

"Fine, I'll attend. Naruto, could I talk to you in private before you retire?" Sasuke didn't wait for a response. He just got up and walked towards the empty hallway. Naruto followed him, leaving the other members of the table to wonder what was going on.

Afterward: I wasn't sure of how to proceed, but this seems a decent way to go. The mood of the story will lighten a bit in the next chapter, but just a bit. What did Sasuke want? You'll have to find out in the next chapter! Preview?

Sasuke: Naruto, I just wanted you to know, whatever happens, I'm your comrade. The exam will put both of us into difficult situations. But whatever happens, don't let it stop you from completing the mission. Promise me?

Naruto: But now that I know the nature of the exam, what if we end up...

Sasuke: Promise you'll do your best?

Naruto:...Don't worry. I promise.


	3. Kill Me

Beforehand: Sorry for the delay, but I had stuff going on. Also, for readers of the Sound of The Leaf, sequel this week! But for now, remember what happened last chapter and here we go!

Chapter 3: Kill Me

Sasuke and Naruto walked down a long, dark corridor. The air was tense between them despite the friendly bout that they had had. Sasuke continuously checked around himself to make sure that nobody followed the two boys. Most students were still inside the cafeteria.

Finally, in a narrow hallway, Sasuke turned around. Naruto noticed that Sasuke was not making eye contact with him. He took this as a sign of trouble.

"Naruto, about the exams," Sasuke began. Naruto sighed a breath of relief. It was speculation about the exams. He had thought it to be something more troubling.

"Don't worry Sasuke," Naruto said. "You'll do just fine on them. Whatever they are. Forget those rumors. We'll find out later on what's really going down." Sasuke eyed Naruto. Naruto saw something in his eyes. Something telling him that he knew something about the exams.

"A few years back, my older brother, Itachi Uchiha took these exams," Sasuke began. Naruto gulped. Itachi's name was synonomous with traitorous murderer. Itachi, more than two years ago, had supposedly cracked under the strain of the test. Everyone in the village remembered that day. After returning from a sucessful mission, Itachi had been questioned as to the whereabouts of his teammates. His response was remembered to this day.

'They are in the same place I am about to send you.'

Itachi let loose, destroying anyone who dared try and stop him from killing as many people as he could. He returned to the area his family resided in. Every single member of the Uchiha clan was wiped out that day. Everyone except for little Sasuke. The public story was that Itachi had been persuaded by the Sound Lord to come to evil. But ninja in this academy told stories of itachi cracking after a certain exam.

"Before he went off," Sasuke continued, "he revealed to me important information about the exam. He told me that I had to go in impartial to anyone. I had to destroy all of my opponents no matter what. And when the great unmasking came, I would join him. At the time, I haden't the faintest clue as to what he was talking about. But after the massacure, and hearing about the severity of this exam, I believe it's the one Itachi was referring to. He was older than us of course when he had taken the exam, but I think that's because the school was just starting out, and they took anyone who would join."

"Sasuke," Naruto asked slowly as Sasuke took a breath. "Itachi wants you to join him after a great unmasking?" Sasuke nodded, paused then began talking again.

"He did say something else. He said, "Assuming you're not the one to be unmasked." If this makes little sense to you Naruto, I understand. I'm only just now beginning to figure out what's behind my brother's nonsense. Ever since his conversion to the Sound Lord, I've been furiously trying to decipher his messages. When I heard about this exam, I did as much research as possible. Naruto, the exam...you'll have to kill your comrades to pass it." Naruto's eyes shot open.

"Sas-," Naruto started. Sasuke shushed him.

"Naruto, our comrades will be split into eight teams. They will be team on team matches. Each team that wins will pass the test. The penalty for not passing...is death. The passers pass by killing their comrades. There are two colors. Red and Blue. Blue ninjas fight red ninjas. That's how it's going to go down. I still don't know what Itachi expects from me, but I'm a leap closer and ahead of the game. And now, so are you. Naruto, you can't reveal to anyone what I've just told you"

"But Sasuke!" Naruto said. His heart was racing. His thoughts scattered across his mind. The thought of having to kill someone wasn't what bothered him. He had killed many times before. It was natural for him. But to think he might be killing his closest comrades. Ino, Shikamaru, Sakura-chan...Sasuke.

"Now that I know the nature of the test, we have to-"

"Naruto!" Sasuke said firmly. His eyes looked dull. He didn't appear to be experiencing any emotion as he imparted information that shattered Naruto's mind.

"You have to promise me, you'll do your best to kill your comrades, no, your enemies on the battlefield, no matter what," Sasuke said. Naruto knew Sasuke wouldn't take no for an answer. He nodded his head slowly. Sasuke nodded as well.

"Very good," Sasuke muttered. "I suggest you make the most of the picnic we've been invited to. Take a good look at the comrades of today. They may well be the opponents of tomorrow." Naruto saw Sasuke turn away and walk towards his room, leaving the blond ninja alone in the dark. Naruto cleared his mind. He had training to do. Mentally and Physically. He had to win. He had to pass. He had to kill his comrades.

He had no other choice.

Sasuke slowly walked off to his bedroom. He felt as if he were the Grim Reaper right now. He was predicting the death of his comrades. He had burdened Naruto with the knowledge. But why had he done it? Simple. So he could get Naruto to promise he'd kill him if something happened between them.

Sasuke stopped in front of his room. He put his head on the door. Is this what Itachi expected? Why? What was his older brother planning? And why did he need Sasuke to join him? Although he had unraveled a portion of the mystery, there was more to come. But first he had to prove himself worthy of being a ninja. He had to become impartial to comrades. And to prove he was, he was willing to stake their lives on it.

He had no other choice.

Sorry For Cutting It Short! But I need to think of how to do the picnic scene. As you now know, I have to make Naruto think perfectly or I may F-up badly. But anyways. Sorry once again for the extreme shortness. If you need something else. Sound Of The Leaf 2 Chapter 1 comes out today!


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